Gardening
Turning Japanese
J
apanese Maples are surely one of the most beautiful trees. They produce the wonderful foliage in a variety of colours.
Add to this the fact that they never become too large and you have a tree which could have been specifically designed for small suburban plots. Acer palmatum is the base variety. It’s a handsome enough small tree with neatly cut green leaves, but the ‘wow’ factor really sets in when we get to some of its varieties. My favourite is “Atropurpureum”. It is an elegant tree which only reaches 10 feet / 3m tall in 15 years. Its leaves are crimson when they open then turn a rich shade of burgundy as they mature. It’s beautiful in any position but for maximum impact plant it where you will see the sun shine through the leaves. The feathery-leaved varieties are also stunning. Their slightly weeping habit gives them a graceful appearance. “Dissectum” is plain green, while “Dissectum Atropurpureum” is a dusky plum colour.
Acer palmatum “Little Princess” would be my first choice. It is such a pretty plant with small, bright green leaves edged with deep red. Being a dwarf variety it will only reach 1.5m / 5 ft and it produces a lovely display of red foliage in the autumn as a bonus. To grow a Japanese Maple in a pot use a large container and a John Innes No.2 potting compost. Every spring remove the top few inches of compost and replace it with fresh. This top-dressing will ensure that the plant stays healthy and vigorous. All maples prefer shelter. Persistent cold winds dry the leaves and turn them brown. They are also quite thirsty plants and it is important not to let the roots dry out. Really, in spite of their exotic appearance they are not at all tricky to grow, and they lend an air of elegant sophistication to any garden. Try one as a specimen plant and I’m betting that you’ll add another soon after... and another...
For full sun Acer palmatum “Bloodgood” holds the red colour of its leaves best. For a shadier spot try the more delicate “Orange Dream” which opens with fresh yellow-orange spring growth and turns lime green in summer. Acers do prefer a rich, slightly acidic soil, but fortunately for those of us with lessthan-perfect growing conditions many varieties grow well in pots.
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